All Articles Tagged "Stripper Pole"

Last week Meagan Good had everyone in her corner when she stated in an interview that she wouldn’t be rolling around in the bed with her husband until their wedding night. But what they didn’t expect was for the actress to hop up on a pole a few days later. Over the weekend, Meagan had a burlesque bachelorette party and when photos hit the net, many started questioning what kind of woman who just proclaimed her commitment to God to the world would do a little on-stage, lap dance/strip-tease simulation so publicly—let alone one who’s engaged to a seventh-day Adventist pastor?

I’m not going to lie, I was one of those people. I didn’t think anything was necessarily wrong about what she did, it definitely wasn’t a sin, but it just seemed odd. On one hand, it’s not like Meagan could disguise her beauty if she was wearing a brown sack. She’s a gorgeous woman who’s going to attract and tempt men no matter what she does, but it was something about her performance, no matter it’s harmless intent, that just seemed a little unbecoming of not just a preacher’s wife but a woman exclaiming how devout of a christian she is. Hearing the backlash that’s come her way, Meagan made a mini-statement on Twitter along the lines of, mind your own business when she typed:

“Let’s get something straight … I wasn’t half naked last night … I was actually very covered up, not showing anymore than I show when I dress up to go to events .,,and let’s get something else straight .. I’m an actress ., there will be many things narrow minded people deem unholy or not 1st lady like … But this is not so..it’s about your relationship with God and your personal convictions …

“If you see footage, you will see I was covered up having fun dancing and enjoying my self with my friends and family and absolutely not doing a striptease …smh people are ridiculous .. Can’t a girl enjoy her bachelorette party in peace?”

She absolutely can, but I wonder how she makes peace with the mixed messages she’s sending. To be fair, Meagan’s routine was really far more innocent than what still shots suggest. Aside from some boisterous cleavage and a leotard, she was pretty covered up and only did a few moves, but I think the clip just added to questions people already had about whether she’s got one foot in the world and the other in the church. Or in this case, one foot in the pulpit, and the other wrapped around the pole.

I agree that what she does as an actress and how she lives in real life are two separate things, although let’s be real there’s still some responsibility that comes with the type of roles you portray and the lifestyles you cosign by playing certain characters. I suppose this appearance could be considered a performance but it was more so a personal thing done out in the open which opened her up to public scrutiny. There are some clear scriptures about not being conformed to the world and living one’s life as an example where people can see that you are set apart from those living a so-called secular lifestyle, and while I honestly don’t doubt that she’s celibate and loves the lord and honors him, I think for many people it’s hard to believe her words because of the over-sexed way she presents herself on- and off-screen. Let’s just say she has a very different approach to her relationship from the Victoria’s Secret model who quit the runway to save her body for her husband.

It’s not up for anyone of us to judge Meagan’s lifestyle but it is necessary to judge what aspects of her life you take as a model to mimic and those which you leave. I think it’s great that she participated in the Fearless magazine event and mentored young women about prayer but I’d also like to see her talk to girls about not always being the temptress and showing their bodies off for attention and perhaps even stop using hers so much. The backlash in this case may be a bit much or cause people to draw unfair conclusions about her walk with God but when you put yourself out there like a beaming ray of christian light and then appear to be a part of stripper culture the next day, you’re going to raise a few brows.

Check out a clip of Meagan’s performance and tell us what you think. Do you think her whole image is problematic?

Brande Victorian is a blogger and culture writer in New York City. Follower her on Twitter at @be_vic.

It’s one thing to say open your Bibles to Acts Chapter such and such so I can tell you what God has to say about sexual immorality, it’s another to install a stripper pole in the church as a constant reminder. A pastor in a suburban Cincinnati church has opted for the latter and it’s sitting right smack dab in the center of the pulpit.

“With our bed on one side is what men want or desire–your stripper pole, your video games, your sports. The woman’s side is orderly, neat, it’s all about love, candy, teddy bears, roses and being wined and dined and cherished.”

From Pastor Scrugg’s perspective, single people are having too much sex and married couples aren’t having enough; he says it’s his job to get through to the members.

“We talk about sex, we talk about drugs, we talk about faith, we talk about relationships; things that people are dealing with on a day to day basis.

“We push the envelope that’s true. I definitely don’t take it out of context. Some people might say he’s going to hell, he’s wrong. We want to talk about it we don’t want them to guess at it assume it’s wrong it right we want to talk about it.”

The pastor’s approach is certainly radical, considering some churches barely even discuss anything dealing with sex, other than to tell people don’t do it if they’re not married. Pastor Scruggs said he prefers to lay it all out on the line.

“We try to make it relevant, straight forward; we don’t sugar coat anything,”

He’s not lying about that and there’s no harm in preachers having an open and honest discussion about the questions it’s members no doubt have in reference to the bedroom anyway. I just don’t know if you need a stripper pole to do it.

What do you think about this pastor’s approach to sharing the word?

Brande Victorian is a blogger and culture writer in New York City. Follower her on Twitter at @be_vic.

To add just a bit more fuel to the Will-Jada divorce fire, a photo of 11-year-old Willow Smith posing with a stripper role has surfaced—and almost immediately disappeared.

Yesterday, young Willow posted a photo of herself playing around on a dancer pole with a caption reading “Vegas Chick…” Not long after, the photo went bye bye, but not before sites like Necole Bitchie and 500+ viewers got a chance to save the file to their desktops.

So many questions could be asked here, namely what are you doing in a Vegas strip club, where are your parents, and who took this photo—etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. But most important is should Will and Jada pump the breaks on this young diva’s career? Already many people questioned how much ownership Willow and her brother Jaden have over their personal style after they were thrown front and center of the pre-teen entertainment scene last year, and author Terry McMillan even accused the couple of pimping out their kids for fame.With rumors that differing opinions on how Willow and Jaden should pursue their entertainment careers floating around as the reason Will and Jada are getting a divorce, this photo certainly doesn’t help.

There’s nothing cute about an 11-year-old play-posing with a pole and if one of the parents thinks there is, I can see why the young ones’ careers could indeed be irreconcilable differences. I’m sure neither Will nor Jada told Willow to upload that pic in the first place but the fact that she was in Vegas and around a pole is all on them.

What do you think about this photo of Willow? Do you think her overall image is too mature or should she be allowed to express who she is?

Brande Victorian is a blogger and culture writer in New York City. Follower her on Twitter at @be_vic.